The Federalist Papers

Originally published anonymously, The Federalist Papers first appeared in 1787 as a series of letters to New York newspapers exhorting voters to ratify the proposed Constitution of the United States. Still hotly debated and open to often controversial interpretations, the arguments first presented here by three of America's greatest patriots and political theorists were created during a critical moment in our nation's history.

The Ratification Debates

In the fall of 1787, each of the 13 states assembled special conventions to consider ratification of a proposed Constitution of the United States. Without ratification by nine conventions, the Constitution would flounder: America would be a league of states, not one nation.

The Bill of Rights and Additional Amendments

The Constitution of the United States created a nation with a strong centralized government. In 1791, the Constitution was adjusted to include 10 amendments, commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights. These were guarantees of individual liberty upon which critics of the Constitution had insisted. Changing times raise changing questions. What of black rights, the right of former slaves to vote? And do women not share in that privilege? How many terms should a president serve? These and other issues were resolved through additional amendments to the Constitution.

The American Revolution, Part 2

In 1764, Britain imposed the first of several taxes with the Sugar Act. This was followed by the Stamp Act and the Townshend Revenue Act. In 1773, the Seven Years War with France had made Britain the greatest power on earth. But the war had doubled her national debt; interest payments alone consumed 5/8ths of Britain's annual budget. To ease this burden, Britain made a fateful blunder: she decided to impose and enforce taxes upon the American colonies.

Reflections on the Revolution in France & Rights of Man

Reflections on the Revolution in France is a slashing attack on the French Revolution by one of Britain’s most famous statesmen. Liberty and social order, Burke argues, are maintained by the traditional rights and duties embedded in custom and law. And when these traditions are overthrown in revolutions, society is threatened with chaos, bloodshed and despotism.

Our Constitution: The Complete United States Constitution

After winning the war for independence from Great Britain, the 13 adopted the Articles of Confederation as their system of government. However, the Articles proved to be ineffective, and only a few short years after gaining its independence, the young country was headed for fracture and failure. In the summer of 1787, 12 of the states (Rhode Island excepted) sent delegates to Philadelphia in a last-ditch effort to fix the Articles. But it soon became clear that the problems facing the young country were too great for the Articles of Confederation to address, even in an amended form. Thus, the delegates created a new Constitution.

The American Revolution, Part 1

In 1764, Britain imposed the first of several taxes with the Sugar Act. This was followed by the Stamp Act and the Townshend Revenue Act. In 1773, the Seven Years War with France had made Britain the greatest power on earth. But the war had doubled her national debt; interest payments alone consumed 5/8ths of Britain's annual budget. To ease this burden, Britain made a fateful blunder: she decided to impose and enforce taxes upon the American colonies.

Communist Manifesto and Social Contract (Knowledge Products) Giants of Political Thought Series

Communist Manifesto examines the theory and goals expounded by Karl Marx. Marx argues that history flows inevitably toward a social revolution, which will result in a society without economic classes. The influence on Marx of Hegel, Feuerbach, and other philosophers is examined, as is his friendship and collaboration with Engels.

Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence (Knowledge Products) Giants of Political Thought Series

Common Sense examines how Americans defended the right to resist unjust laws, and how this right of resistance was transformed into a right of revolution. It examines Thomas Paine's views on the difference between society and government, his defense of republican government, his total rejection of hereditary monarchy, and his belief that Americans should take up arms against the English government.

The Constitutional Convention

In 1783, America emerged from a long and bitter war for independence. The 13 colonies were now 13 sovereign states, bound together by the Articles of Confederation. After years of war, men like Thomas Jefferson saw the possibility of something new under the sun: a government which derived its just power from the consent of the governed.

Written Out of History: The Forgotten Founders Who Fought Big Government

In the earliest days of our nation, a handful of unsung heroes - including women, slaves, and an Iroquois chief - made crucial contributions to our republic. They pioneered the ideas that led to the Bill of Rights, the separation of powers, and the abolition of slavery. Yet their faces haven't been printed on our currency or carved into any cliffs. Instead they were marginalized, silenced, or forgotten - sometimes by an accident of history, sometimes by design.

Two Treatises of Government

Two Treatises of Government is a work of political philosophy that outlined a concept foreign to the American people who, at the time, were still under English monarchy. This concept is what we now call democracy and advocated for a system in which all people were afforded rights to freedom and property ownership. The book was intended to push forward the ideas on contract theory and natural rights. Thomas Jefferson borrowed many of the ideas of Two Treatises of Government while writing the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States

Here are the two most treasured documents of American freedom together on one audiobook. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 as an act of rebellion, the Declaration of Independence powerfully expresses the political principles of an emerging nation. Ratified in 1788, the Constitution for the United States remains a shining example of patriotism and compromise.

Leviathan

Leviathan is a vigorous defense of a strong central government that was originally published in 1651, just after the English wars of 1642-49. This presentation explores the social and political turmoil during which Leviathan was written, including an examination of the radical political philosophies spawned by opposition to Stuart monarchy in England. It explains the materialistic foundation of Hobbes' philosophy and how this influenced his theory of man, society, and government.

Big Agenda: President Trump's Plan to Save America

One battle is over, but there are many more to come. This book is an indispensable guide to fighting the opponents of the conservative restoration. It identifies who the adversaries are, as well as their methods, motivations, and agenda, including the particular issues with which they will try to advance their destructive goal - and it lays out a strategy to defeat all of it.

Have you ever had trouble understanding the United States Bill of Rights? Have you ever wondered what was really meant by one or more of the ten amendments? Have you ever been unsure as to how these rights apply to modern society? Have you even questioned if the Bill of Rights should still be held as inviolable law, nearly 250 years after its writing? Here's the truth: the Bill of Rights is not easy to understand if you just pick it up and give it a read. The eloquent style in which it's written can be confusing. The language can cause misunderstandings.

Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills

No skill is more important in today's world than being able to think about, understand, and act on information in an effective and responsible way. What's more, at no point in human history have we had access to so much information, with such relative ease, as we do in the 21st century. But because misinformation out there has increased as well, critical thinking is more important than ever. These 24 rewarding lectures equip you with the knowledge and techniques you need to become a savvier, sharper critical thinker in your professional and personal life.

Democracy in America

Alexis de Tocqueville, a young French aristocrat, captured the essence of nineteenth-century America in his penetrating work, Democracy in America. The democratic concept of equality was emerging as a political reality in America, and it threatened the aristocracy of Europe; it produced a society of individualists hungry for self improvement. In this classic treatise, Tocqueville weighed the advantages of democracy against its dangers.

Philosophy: 100 Essential Thinkers: The Ideas That Have Shaped Our World

This engaging and accessible book invites the listener to explore the questions and arguments of philosophy through the work of 100 of the greatest thinkers within the Western intellectual tradition - covering philosophical, scientific, political, and religious thought over a period of 2500 years.

The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition

Grasp the important ideas that have served as the backbone of philosophy across the ages with this extraordinary 60-lecture series. This is your opportunity to explore the enormous range of philosophical perspectives and ponder the most important and enduring of human questions-without spending your life poring over dense philosophical texts.

A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold. The rules, policies, and institutions that have guided the world since World War II have largely run their course. Respect for sovereignty alone cannot uphold order in an age defined by global challenges from terrorism and the spread of nuclear weapons to climate change and cyberspace. Meanwhile, great power rivalry is returning. Weak states pose problems just as confounding as strong ones.

Dwayne Eberlein says:"I look at the world politic and how we got here"

Histories

In this, the first prose history in European civilization, Herodotus describes the growth of the Persian Empire with force, authority, and style. Perhaps most famously, the book tells the heroic tale of the Greeks' resistance to the vast invading force assembled by Xerxes, king of Persia. Here are not only the great battles - Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis - but also penetrating human insight and a powerful sense of epic destiny at work.

Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS

Pulitzer Prize, General nonfiction, 2016. When Jordan granted amnesty to a group of political prisoners in 1999, it little realized that among them was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a terrorist mastermind and soon the architect of an Islamist movement bent on dominating the Middle East. In Black Flags, an unprecedented account of the rise of ISIS, Joby Warrick shows how the zeal of this one man and the strategic mistakes of Presidents Bush and Obama led to the banner of ISIS being raised over huge swaths of Syria and Iraq.

The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic

Mark R. Levin has made the case, in numerous New York Times best-selling books - Men in Black, Liberty and Tyranny, and Ameritopia - that the principles undergirding our society and governmental system are unravelling. In The Liberty Amendments, he turns to the founding fathers and the constitution itself for guidance in restoring the American republic.

Publisher's Summary

The United States Constitution both established both a strong central government and protected states' rights. But to say that something is of two parts is not to say that the parts are equal. Advocates of state sovereignty believed the Constitution created an executive power that was so strong it might as well have been a monarchy, while advocates of national government felt that a strong executive was essential to steer America through crises. Between these two positions, the living body of the Constitution was sculpted.

Over and over, the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention clashed and compromised. Slavery, a bill of rights, legislative representation - all the battles over these issues are enshrined in the language of the Constitution. To fully appreciate the Constitution, it is necessary to understand the questions it sought to resolve.

This is a great start for anyone seeking more information about the U.S. Constitution. In fact, not to get into a political discussion, I imagine many of our politicians who often pontificate on the Constitution and how it should or should not be interpreted would find this book very puzzling. No matter what their view may be, they would find some support and a lot of lack of support for their views. I think this is a great, albeit somewhat shallow, book that is a good start, but certainly not an ending point on learning more about our Constitution.